Kenneth Chan
With the release of the multi-platinum selling Good Girl Gone Bad in 2008, the world crowned its newest pop princess. Robyn Rihanna Fenty seemed destined to rule the fickle kingdom of mainstream music.
The album was a career-defining moment for the Umbrella hit-maker, one that thrust her into the international spotlight thereafter. But just when the coronation ceremony was about done, ex-boyfriend and dethroned R&B prince Chris Brown quite literally knocked the mojo out of Rihanna with his primitive and violent behaviour.
Rated R, the album that comes hot on the polished heels of her abusive relationship, is unmistakably the 21-year-old’s response to the dramatic episode. Thematically, the concept isn’t unheard of, (think Janet Jackson with The Velvet Rope) except that the lyrical and production value of Ms Jackson’s critically-acclaimed CD are far stronger than what’s heard on almost-princess Riri’s new album.
These days, all that Jay-Z’s protégée looks and sounds like is a good girl gone really, really angry.
Granted, music is supposed to be an outlet of expression where the musician tells her side of the story. But for all 13 tracks on a commercial studio album to be dedicated to an outpouring of overdramatic grievances (“Photographs”, “The Last Song”), mad revenge fantasies (“G4l”, “Fire Bomb”) and unnecessary self-reprimand (“Stupid In Love”) is just plain pathetic to the point of self indulgence. When pop icon-turned-pop trash Britney Spears was more known for her wardrobe malfunctions and hair-shaving craziness, her record label knew better and channelled all of Spear’s personal troubles into the makings of the slick electro-pop Blackout, arguably her best album, both sonically and critically, to date. The singer’s emotional burden was carefully and cleverly layered into the modern sounds of the album that made all the difference. (Are you taking notes, Def Jam?)
Such a pity for the Barbados diva who used to command the club, urban, pop and Top 20 formats like no other – her chart-topping prowess rivalling even that of R&B queen Beyonce Knowles. With chart heavyweights like Britney’s dancefloor romp of “3”, Lady Gaga’s kickass single “Bad Romance” and Jay-Z’s hot collaboration with Alicia Keys “Empire State of Mind”, Rihanna’s lacklustre efforts simply don’t stand a chance – Not even with her label going full force in backing her up.
Before all you Rihanna-diehards condemn UrbanWire to the rat holes and dungeons of hell, there are a few tracks on Rated R that are worth a listen. “Russian Roulette” should be given credit for its shock value and artistic maturity. From its first note, the unsettling number doesn’t hit you like her previous hits of “Disturbia” or “Take A Bow”, but put the song on repeat and you’ll find yourself drawn to the hypnotic and broody imagery that it conjures. If you ask us, either “Rude Boy” or “Wait Your Turn” should’ve been the lead single to precede the release of the album. The hard rock and club beats of the former stay in your head like a bad cold that won’t go away. We can’t say this enough, but on the latter track, the anthemic chorus is pure ecstasy when the lady purrs, “It’s getting crowded over here / But babe the wait is ova / Sometimes it takes a thousand tries to win / The wait is ova / Fumble don’t you fumble / That’s a flag on the play / Babe if you don’t wanna / Then you don’t have to wait / But together we gon’ be taking over”. Justin Timberlake appears and contributes lyrics to the curious “Cold Case Love”, which features a highly intriguing soundscape made up of groaning organs, melodramatic beats and orchestral-type strings.
And for all it’s worth, her immaculate sense of style and fashion remains on top of the game. For the cover art of “Russian Roulette”, Rihanna can be seen topless and provocatively wrapped in barbed wire that strategically hides her lady bits. She is even sporting a Mohawk-styled hair for her album promotional appearances.
Other than that, the overdramatic Rated R doesn’t quite fit in the current market that Lady Gaga seems to have dominated with her club-friendly melodies and eye-popping music videos. Even by her own standards, Rihanna disappoints with her fourth album, that’s better off in the discount bins.
The UrbanWire gives Rated R 2.5/5 stars.
Release Date: November 20, 2009
Artiste: Rihanna
Album Title: Rated R
Track List:
1. Mad House
2. Wait Your Turn
3. Hard (featuring Young Jeezy)
4. Stupid In Love
5. Rockstar 101 (featuring Slash)
6. Russian Roulette
7. Fire Bomb
8. Rude Boy
9. Photographs (featuring will.i.am)
10. G4L
11. Te Amo
12. Cold Case Love
13. The Last Song